Pixels Henry Jackman Varese Sarabande Records Adam Sandler would do well to listen to “Game On,” which blares over the end credits of his latest movie, Pixels. “This is not a game now, nobody can save you /Spent up all your change and now your turn is done” sings Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden as …
Brent Hodge and Derik Murray’s new documentary, ‘I Am Chris Farley,’ tries to illuminate the comedian’s meteoric rise and fall, as well as to understand his delicate psyche. Mostly, it’s another chance to re-live some of Farley’s best bits, which is just enough to recommend this otherwise disappointing chat-fest.
Nostalgia oozes from every cinematic pore of ‘Pixels,’ as director Chris Columbus weaves these videogame relics into a modern landscape. Unfortunately, rather than fully committing to his elegant premise, Columbus gets bogged down in unconvincing character development. Sandler fans and little kids might enjoy this rollcall of ‘80s game icons, but everyone else should just rent ‘Ghostbusters’ instead.
If you’re in the camp that Adam Sandler used to be funny or that his movies were better in the ’90s, the one movie you’re inevitably thinking of is Happy Gilmore, in which Sandler’s aggressive, lovable man-child was never more at home than when he was wrestling an alligator and fighting with The Price is …
After an underwhelming performance in last year’s Men, Women and Children, can Adam Sandler try to hit gold with another role outside of his usual comedies? It seems like the reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival don’t agree. A new trailer for The Cobbler hit the web on Wednesday. The film stars Sandler as …
40. Empire Records Directed by: Allan Moyle Ah, the coming-of-age story. There was no sub-genre more hijacked for a quick buck in the 1990’s. In between the good ones (“Dazed and Confused,” “Boyz in the Hood”), the cheesy ones (“She’s All That,” “She Drives Me Crazy”), and the under-appreciated ones (“The Man in the Moon,” …
From the pool party dive in Boogie Nights inspired by Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba to the steering wheel scene in Hard Eight that so deftly recalls Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur, playing spot the reference with Paul Thomas Anderson is always fun. It is through these moments that we can fully appreciate the voracious depth at which one man is embroiled in his art; forever the immersed student …
Top Five Written & Directed by Chris Rock USA, 2014 Chris Rock’s new tour de force, Top Five, is so cleverly written that you don’t even realize it’s a romantic-comedy until the deed is nearly done. By that point, even the coldest, most cynical man is powerless to resist its charms. Smart, nasty and …
Does Netflix have Eric Cartman’s AWESOME-O working in their studios? You remember; he was the lovable robot who could invent Adam Sandler movies out of thin air, like “Adam Sandler falls in love with a Golden Retriever” or “Adam Sandler is stranded on an island and falls in love with a coconut.” If so, that …
Ambition can be the enemy of precision. With its multiple storylines and subplots, there is no denying the overarching ambition of Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children. What seems to be missing, however, is the attention to detail required to craft a rewarding and engaging film. The good ideas are undermined by ‘Young Adult’ clichés, and the interesting stories aren’t given enough time to flourish. The end result is a messy little film that doesn’t offer enough insight to warrant enduring the melancholy.
Casting sometimes is fate and destiny more than skill and talent, from a director’s point of view. – Steven Spielberg Ah, the joys of hindsight, such as they are. It is so easy to look back on what came about from the small decisions coming together to form an unforgettable whole, and laugh at those …
Punch-Drunk Love Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Written by Paul Thomas Anderson 2002, USA There’s something about films like Punch-Drunk Love that can leave you feeling faintly bloated – not quite to the extent of a three-course meal; those sort of delicacies are saved for the epics (Ben Hur, anyone?), but more like an overflowing …
*Disclaimer: the following is based on and an expansion of an article written by Peter Howell, the Toronto Star Movie Critic. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a film of the lowest common denominator adds nothing to the institution of cinema. But as profiteers like Adam Sandler have already understood, when money speaks, truth is …
Recognizable brand names have appeared in movies since the early 1920s and perhaps even before. Among the first famous silent film to feature product placement was Wings (1927), the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It contained a plug for Hershey’s chocolate. Perhaps one of the most successful movie product tie-ins …
Funny People Directed by Judd Apatow Creating a hero has been easy for Judd Apatow; whether you’re a 40-year old man who has never had sex or a 20-something freeloader accidentally knocking up a girl during a one night stand, you best be sure these people will rise to the occasion. The hero in Apatow’s …